Kniphofia plant named ‘Mango Popsicle’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Kniphofia  plant characterized by its very early blooming, repeat blooming, compact habit with multiple crowns, narrow, grassy leaves, glowing, yellow orange flowers, and excellent vigor.

Botanical denomination: Kniphofia spp.

Cultivar designation: Mango Popsicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct Kniphofia, and given the cultivar name is ‘Mango Popsicle’. Kniphofia is in the family Asphodelaceae. ‘Mango Popsicle’ is a hybrid resulting from a planned breeding program to produce compact, reblooming Kniphofia. The cross was made using the following proprietary, unreleased plants: Kniphofia 10-1, as the seed parent, and Kniphofia 10-2, as the pollen parent. It was selected for best habit, flower color, reblooming, and crown count from many seedlings of the cross in Canby, Oreg.

Compared to Kniphofia ‘Bressingham Comet’ (an unpatented plant), the seed parent, the new cultivar is more free flowering with yellow orange flowers rather than yellow to red orange flowers.

Compared to Kniphofia ‘Papaya Popsicle’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 13/066,135), the new cultivar is taller with yellow orange rather than red orange flowers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The new cultivar is unique and characterized by:

-   -   1. very early blooming (flowers the first year in 30 cell plugs)     -   2. repeat blooming from June through September in Canby, Oreg.     -   3. compact habit with multiple crowns     -   4. narrow, grassy leaves     -   5. glowing, yellow orange flowers     -   6. excellent vigor

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (division, tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the new cultivar. Asexual propagation by leaf cuttings, tissue culture, and division using standard techniques as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The photograph shows a plant of a one-year-old Kniphofia ‘Mango Popsicle’ in the ground in the trial field in May in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Kniphofia cultivar based on observations 32 cell size, six month old specimens grown from tissue culture, grown outside in part sun in Canby, Oreg. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 5^(th) edition.

-   Plant:     -   -   Type.—Rhizomatous herbaceous perennial.         -   Hardiness.—USDA Zones 6 to 9.         -   Size.—Grows to 41 cm wide and 34 cm tall from the top of the             soil to the top of the foliage.         -   Form.—Upright and clumping. -   Leaf:     -   -   Type.—Simple.         -   Shape.—Strap-like.         -   Arrangement.—Basal rosette.         -   Blade size.—Grows to 40 cm long and 12 mm wide.         -   Margins.—Entire.         -   Apex.—Acuminate.         -   Base.—Clasping.         -   Surface texture.—Glabrous on both surfaces.         -   Venation.—Parallel.         -   Color.—Top and bottom side Green 137A. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Type.—Spike-like scapose raceme.         -   Number of flowers per raceme.—About 120.         -   Inflorescence.—13 cm long and 5 cm wide.         -   Peduncle description.—Grows to 50 cm long and 7 mm wide,             glabrous to glaucous, Yellow Green 146C.         -   Pedicle description.—2.5 mm long, glabrous, Yellow Green             N144A.         -   Bloom time.—June through September in Canby, Oreg.         -   Lastingness.—An inflorescence lasts for 2 to 4 weeks             depending on the temperatures. -   Flower bud:     -   -   Size.—28 mm long and 4 mm wide.         -   Shape.—Cylindrical.         -   Surface texture.—Glabrous.         -   Color.—Orange 25B on top, Yellow Orange 19A on bottom, and             Yellow 11B at base. -   Flower:     -   -   Type.—Actinomorphic.         -   Shape.—Cylindrical and tubular.         -   Size.—Grows to 3 cm deep and 10 mm wide.         -   Texture.—Waxy.         -   Surface texture.—Glabrous inside and outside.         -   Color.—Inside and out: Yellow Orange 23A on top ¾ and Yellow             Orange 18A on bottom ¾, with Yellow 8A on end nearest the             stem.         -   Corolla description.—6 lobed fused tepals, 3 cm long and 1             cm wide, tube 27 mm long and 5 mm wide, lobes reflex 3 mm             wide and 4 mm long, ovate, entire, obtuse to acute, inside             and out glabrous and Yellow Orange 23A on top ¾ and Yellow             Orange 18A on bottom ¾, with Yellow 8A on end nearest the             stem.         -   Pistil description.—One extruding, 4 cm long, ovary 4 mm             long 2.5 mm wide, Yellow Green 144A, style 37 mm long,             Yellow Orange 15B at tip lightening to Yellow 11B at base,             stigma White NN155A.         -   Stamen.—6, 22 mm long, filaments 21 mm long, and White             NN155A, anthers 1 mm long and Yellow 11A, pollen none.         -   Fragrance.—None. -   Fruit and seed: None seen. -   Pest and diseases: Pests and diseases are infrequent on Kniphofia     spp. No problems have been observed on this plant grown under     commercial conditions in Canby, Oreg. 

1. A new and distinct Kniphofia plant as herein shown and described. 